October 25th, Amsterdam: The UNDP Report Journey to Extremism in Africa was released in Amsterdam today.
Between 2011 and early 2016, 33.300 people in Africa lost their lives to violent extremism. Millions have seen their livelihoods affected through loss of a breadwinner. In order to build an evidence base for effective development measures against violent extremism, UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa interviewed an unprecedented number of former recruits about their motivations in joining groups such as Boko Haram, Al Shabaab and IS. 718 individuals from Kenya, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Cameroon and Niger were interviewed, allowing UNDP to construct a roadmap of the journey to extremism.
UNDP presented its conclusions at the event – organized in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law. UNDP’s Regional Programme Manager Mohamed Yaya discussed policy pathways with Security Policy Director Hester Somsen and Somali prevention expert Ilwad Elman. The discussion was facilitated by HSC’s Fulco van Deventer.
